Lie Ren followed a dirt path through rolling hills. A gust of wind swept over the grass, brushing the blades in its wake. Everything else was still and silent. The sky had brightened in the morning, and darkened in the afternoon- orange hues banded on the horizon- but without a sun in the sky.

At least he wasn't in the dark place anymore.

Looking back, he saw the dirt trail, and the curve of the world.

So he'd put that dark place beyond the horizon, and could finally relax.

His mind wandered to a long distant day, on the way back from some action movie. Jaune had invited Weiss, but she'd rejected him. So Pyrrha had offered to go with him, and Jaune had invited Ren and Nora so it wouldn't look like a date.

And it ended up looking like a double date instead.

After the movie, they walked down main street. The memory was tainted. Ren imagined them stepping over the corpses and ruin as they laughed and reenacted the climactic scene.

"I thought it was cool," Pyrrha chimed.

"It's just not realistic," Jaune complained. He popped a chocolate coated peanut into his mouth and kept talking as he chewed. "I mean, there's no way-"

"Pfffffft!" Nora sprayed spit with her objection.

Ren cringed at his friends. He glanced to Pyrrha and found sympathy there. She usually looked at Jaune like he was special, but seemed sober suddenly.

Nora shouted, "Unrealistic?! He spit the bullet into the chamber! He spit, Jaune! Spitting is realistic! When the bullet goes in the chamber, it can go bang! That's how it works!"

"Yeah, but can anyone really spit that hard?"

Nora snatched a peanut from him, popped it into her mouth, and then spit it into his eye.

Jaune recoiled from the pain and slapped a hand over his face. "Oww!"

Ren pinched the bridge of his nose, and solemnly closed his eyes.

Pyrrha tried to contain herself, but burst into laughter.

They spent the rest of the night practicing at the firing range. Spitting bullets at empty guns.

By coincidence, Team RWBY had the range booked for training. Blake tilted her head at their display, and Weiss drew back in horror. But Ruby lit up with excitement and shouted, "Oh waitwaitwait, I know how to do this, I just saw that movie too!" She got a running start and put a bolt of saliva through a holo-target at ten meters.

"She gets it!" Nora shouted. "From the front! You gotta put all your spit in the front!"

Yang calmly stepped up to Ren's side and put a twenty-two in her mouth. She flashed a wink to Ren, "Pardon," and spit the round through the bullseye at twenty yards.

She tipped an imaginary cowboy hat. "Y'all have a nice day."

What Nora had tried to explain, Yang had demonstrated- her lips and tongue flicking into positions he memorized. Ren put a round in his mouth, held his SMG at arm's length, and spit the bullet into the chamber.

The action slid forward, he pulled the trigger, and the five-hundred meter target lit up.

Jaune gaped. Pyrrha gave two thumbs up.

Nora looked like Ren had blown out her birthday candles. "Ren! Come on!"

"What?"

"You have to say the line from the movie! That's the whole point! It's not practical, it's COOOOOOOOOOOL!"

Ren stared at her for a long time, thinking, until he admitted, "I don't remember the line."

These memories hurt.

Ren stopped on this dirt road from darkness to nowhere, and knelt so he wouldn't fall.

A tear escaped.

For the first time, he understood despair. The vast gulf below him into which he could fall- into which many had fallen before.

"Never stop," he told himself. "Keep moving forward."

He stood and took his next step, and then he stopped.

Not a meter ahead of him, the ground ended.

He leaned over the cliff and looked down. This was not a canyon; there was no other side. Just an abyssal blue gradient.

Ren blinked into the void and chewed the inside of his cheek. This had snuck up on him. He wasn't paying enough attention.

Finding the end of the world was weird. Its abrupt appearance was weird, too. Weirder still was the dirt trail, which continued into the void, unsupported by land.

At the trail's end was a castle, an architectural blasphemy that offended all structural sense. Walls jagged paradoxically, turrets rose every direction but up.

Ren squinted. This wasn't a good place to stop. But the light was fading fast, and this was the end of the trail.

He mumbled, "I have a bad feeling about this," and then did what he had to.

As he approached the castle, it didn't grow. It wasn't large and distant. It was a hundred meters away and just that small. There wasn't even space between the wall and the structures. It was all one building.

The turrets and spires could maybe fit a cramped person. The keep was large enough to be a living room. Instead of a portcullis, stone double doors offered an entrance.

Ren scratched his neck.

This building looked like a child's drawing of a castle.

He knocked on the door.

No answer.

He pressed a hand to the door, and it yielded.

Ren stepped inside, onto a perfectly white floor. He looked at perfectly white walls, up perfectly white columns- up, up, and up to a perfectly white ceiling.

The castle was a lot bigger on the inside.

The door shut behind him and made a perfectly white wall.

"Oh," Ren breathed. The word echoed in the atrium.

A black cloud answered him, swirling into existence, spiraling until it filled an oval large enough for a person to step through. And into this white room came a black cloaked stranger.

Male, Ren intuited. Posture, torso shape.

Then, beside this stranger, a second portal opened, and into the room stepped another black cloaked figure.

Cloak Number Two rested a hand on her hip like a haughty model.

Ren's eyes danced over these threats, adrenaline driving his mind into action.

They both used portals. The chances of two huntsmen having the same, or even similar semblances, was astronomically low. It just didn't happen- not even to twins. Semblance was an expression of the very soul. So these portals… Were something else.

The strangers' cloaks and hoods disguised much, but revealed muscles on both figures' arms. Ren saw no bulges where armor would be, and few places to hide weapons except in the bells of the sleeves.

They were watching him in kind. Ren pulled his dimples back and offered a slight bow, never lowering his eyes. "My name is Lie Ren, which means Ardent Lotus. I'm a Student from Beacon Academy. Nice to meet you."

The woman turned to the man and asked, "Axel? What's a person doing here?"

Ren stood from his bow, sheepishly scratching his head. "I'm… A little lost."

Axel lowered his hood, and a long mane of blazing red hair fell free. Green eyes. Vertical stripes on his cheekbones. He smirked, "You're a little lost? Buddy, Castle Oblivion is as lost as you can get in the whole universe."

Ren shrugged. "I'm… Very lost."

The woman hissed, "You're not supposed to show him your face, Axel!"

Axel turned a grin to her. "And you're not supposed to tell him my name, Larxene."

She threw back her hood. Blonde hair, jagged like lightning bolts. Electric Blue eyes.

Larxene scowled at him, and the scowl was made all the more ugly by how beautiful her face was. She hissed, "What are you doing, Axel?"

"Answering the door," he drawled.

While they were distracted in a silent staring match, Ren glanced to the door-wall.

Still a wall.

He needed another exit. Could he break through? The door had been only two inches thick, but maybe that had changed. And he didn't know the material.

Ren looked across the room. White walls. A massive, white door on the far wall. Though that probably lead somewhere harder to escape.

A month ago, he'd scoffed at fairy tale thinking. A month ago, Pyrrha would've giggled along with him. Now he knew better; Fairy tales got people killed.

The room's other feature was the marble columns. Equally spaced, every four meters.

The floor was uniform and white- no markings to distinguish traps from safe footing. No irregularities on the pillars. Nothing here gave the home team an advantage in a fight. And only two people to greet him? This wasn't a trap.

Larxene spoke first. "This is a big problem, Axel."

"Problem?" Axel asked.

"Yeah," she nodded, "It's a problem, moron." She nodded to Ren. "We can't have Somebodies wandering around here."

In their facial twitches, Ren saw true animosity guiding the conversation. Larxene and Axel didn't like each other, didn't trust each other, and didn't respect each other.

And yet they loved invading each others' personal space. Larxene always leaned in as if for a kiss.

Axel tilted his head as if to bite her neck. "We can't let anybody know what we're doing here. But this one doesn't know, moron."

Ren had seen this exact body language between Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black. Adrenaline kept flooding him, and his spit turned loose. He swallowed and stretched his fingers, kept a mellow and diplomatic smile in place.

Larxene didn't have a response. She wanted to, but, frustrated, she snorted, "I only answered the doorbell because I was bored, anyway."

Axel winked at her, then turned back to Ren. "So how'd you find this place? Where did you come from, Ren?"

Larxene didn't like being ignored. She took an exaggerated step, and began marching perpendicular to the conversation- expressing her boredom like a spoiled child.

Ren watched her as he answered Axel. "I'm from Vale."

"Which Vale?"

Ren raised an eyebrow at Axel. "Uh… The City? You know, the one that Grimm destroyed a few months ago?"

Larxene pivoted on a heel and continued her pacing. "Never heard of it," she chimed. She folded her arms, and her fingers tapped out a beat against her bicep.

Taptap. Taptap. Taptap.

Ren thought broader. "Uh… Vale as in… Sanus? You know… The continent?"

Axel's eyes danced. He frowned and shook his head. "Sorry. Nope."

Taptap. Taptap. Taptap.

Ren tried, "Uh… Heard of… Remnant?"

"Awww…" Larxene cooed, "Heartless destroyed his world and he didn't make it to Traverse Town!"

Taptap. Taptap.

It was a heartbeat.

She was tapping out Ren's own heartbeat. From across the room. He skipped a beat, and so did she, keeping perfect pace.

Larxene pulled a dimple sharply up her cheek, as if drawing a blade. She pivoted on her heel, revealing her other side, and Ren spotted four slivers of metal, gripped between her knuckles. She inspected the blades like painted nails. Her pacing continued, faux-innocent.

Axel, still grinning, offered his commiseration. "Boy, there's bad luck and then there's Bad Luck, you know?"

Bad luck? The conversation. Larxene had said Remnant was destroyed, and that Ren didn't arrive at… ?

Ren turned to Axel and pretended to be unfazed. "Yeah. Bad luck," Ren admitted. "Could you point me to Traverse Town?"

Axel had a penetrating gaze. He was thinking, just like Ren, sizing up the situation- he wasn't relaxed and confident, like Larxene. Axel smiled at a realization, then covered it with an act.

He shrugged, "Sorry, stranger. I like your manners, and it's been fun chatting. But-" he held out his hands, "And, hey, nothing personal, alright? But the thing is, nobody is supposed to know that Nobodies are here. And now you do. So… "

Axel shrugged.

Larxene smiled, joy spreading on her features. "We have to kill you now! Sorry! Boss' orders!"

They didn't immediately lunge at him, and they were loose with information, which Ren needed. So he asked, "Larxene, right?"

"He's quick with names," Axel noted.

Larxene didn't like Ren's quickness as much. "Who said you could talk to me?"

"You called me a Somebody," Ren reminded her. He turned to Axel. "And you called yourself Nobodies. What does that mean?"

Axel raised an eyebrow. "You've never heard of Nobodies?"

He waited for an answer.

"No." Ren shook his head.

"Of course he hasn't," Larxene sneered. "Most people haven't."

"Most people don't end up in Castle Oblivion," Axel countered.

Larxene rolled her eyes. "Axel, come ON! Why are we still talking to him?"

Axel turned his chin her way, but not his eyes. "Larxy, patience. You said you were bored, right?"

Larxene flexed her fingers, spreading the kunai knives gripped between her knuckles. "Fine," she snorted. And in the moment she snorted, something very interesting caught Ren's eye. Electricity arced along the tips of her blades, expressing her frustration.

Ren memorized his battle space, wondered how Blake would hide in this place- how Pyrrha would fight- how Nora would destroy the building- how Jaune would manage their tactical options. He took a deep breath and thought about his weapons.

His SMGs were low on ammunition. Three mags of lead rounds might get him through this fight, but then what? And for all he knew, there were more than two of these people.

"So…" Ren asked, stalling for time. "What are Nobodies?"

Axel unzipped his cloak enough to reveal a well-muscled chest. He poked his skin, over the left breast. "We've got no hearts. We're what happens when a Heartless kills a person who's still got work to do in this world. The kind of person who's just not ready to die, you know?"

As he spoke, Larxene slinked back to one of the marble columns and leaned against it, watching with half-lidded eyes, rolling a blade between her knuckles like a coin. She was waiting her turn to play.

Ren forced a smile. Maybe Diplomacy was still an option. "It sounds like a really convoluted way of saying you're a ghost."

Axel wore a new smile, one that fit very well on the woman beside him. He looked at Ren like a meal- the way Cinder had always stared at Pyrrha- and asked, "A ghost, huh?" Axel rolled that look over his shoulder to Larxene. "What do you think of that, Larxy?"

Larxene stepped backwards around the pillar, out of view. And she didn't return.

Smiling lips brushed Ren's ear from behind.

"Boo," Larxene whispered.

His heart skipped, but he steadied it. Twice now she'd used the portal trick. But this time, out of his view. She wanted to hide the mechanism- something about how it works. But he'd already seen it once. Had she forgotten? Maybe she wasn't thinking about this as much as Ren was.

She hadn't noticed that Axel wanted her to start the fight while he watched. She hadn't noticed that Axel was manipulating her.

Ren calmly turned to look at Larxene, to show her that he wasn't afraid. "You don't feel like a ghost."

Her smile curdled and faded in disappointment. She held out her palms and shrugged. "Axel, this isn't fun at all."

Axel stared at Ren, silently thinking. Then he decided, "Okay. I guess we're wasting time. Go ahead and kill him."

Ren kept his heart steady. Larxene was watching him for a reaction- for her amusement. And perhaps Axel had that same strange ability. How were they sensing his heartbeat? If Axel was telling the truth about their nature… Ren had a plan.

He put up his hands sadly. "I'm afraid I won't be much fun to kill. I'm unarmed, so I can't fight you."

Larxene's posture deflated in disappointment. She flicked annoyance to Axel. "Aren't you supposed to clean up the trash? We're the ones doing all the searching, you know. You should pull your weight around here."

Axel offered, "Hey, maybe we can give Ren here a world card and he can go looking for the hidden room."

"You're deflecting my questions, Axel," Larxene accused. "Why did Superior really send you here?"

The rift between them was deep enough to exploit. And Larxene had already revealed three of her tricks. Electricity, the portal trick, and the ability to detect Ren's heartbeat. He knew how to fight her now.

Axel, meanwhile, had seen through Ren's act at harmlessness. He would stay out of the fight until Ren had revealed his own tricks against Larxene.

Leaving Ren vulnerable to this man who had revealed nothing.

"I mean come on, Axel. I've been poking around this stupid labyrinth of a castle trying to map shifting rooms for how long now? Do we even know if this room exists? Then you show up here, you don't help us search- All you do is talk to people! It's like you're on a witch hunt! Then that twerp with the keyblade shows up, and you've got us following him around to see his progress-"

Ren scooted his hind foot forward and planted it while Larxene was distracted. If she took another step forward, he'd be able to kick a kiloton of force into her chin.

Axel folded his arms. "-Larxy, I- Larxene! You don't have to yell. Superior sent me here to baby sit you because he knew you were slacking, okay?"

"Why do I have to take out the trash?" She gestured at Ren.

Axel pointed at her aggressively. "Hey, you said you were bored, and I gave you something to do. No more complaining."

Larxene peered at him. "Maybe I have to fight him because you're scared."

It wasn't just when she argued- Larxene always had a forward lean to her posture. Exposed chin. This was coming together well. At this range, Ren could tell the kunai knives were unpowered. His aura would hold if she landed any hits. The electricity was a concern, but he only needed to land this first hit to win.

"I'm cautious," Axel corrected.

"Why? He's a teenager, Axel. He's a kid."

"So's the keyblader. But both of them wandered through the corridors of darkness and made it to Castle Oblivion unscathed."

Larxene suddenly wised up, straightening her posture and viewing Ren with sudden suspicion.

Axel finished, "So go on, get him. I wanna see what this guy's deal is."

Ren shrugged, "Well, I-"

Larxene lunged. Ren kicked.

Her reaction time was instant. The speed of her dodge was preternatural. He noted her eyes glancing down, her body leaning right just as his heel flew up and grazed her cheek.

She swung like a street fighter- straight jabs relying on the blades.

Ren responded in kind, converting his momentum to a backflip and escaping her punches. Lightning sizzled the air where he'd been.

He found his feet and triggered his sleeve-holsters. Dual SMGs landed in his grips, and he spent two mags on Larxene, center mass.

And then he stared, past smoking barrels, at a ghost.

The bullets had flown through her like smoke. She hadn't even tickled.

Axel called, "Told ya so."

Larxene sneered, "So what? Come on, kid, is that all you've got? Sorry. Bullets won't cut it."

Next option. Ren dived behind a pillar, breaking line of sight, and holstered an SMG. He reloaded the other with his last mag, and felt a thrill of fear as it clicked home. This was an expensive gambit, and he didn't know if it was going to work.

Larxene laughed harder. "You know we can still see you, right? Your heart stands out like a light in the darkness. I can-"

Ren flexed his Semblance, felt the calm wash over him, and the shroud of stillness cover his heart.

"W-Wait," Larxene asked. "Did his heart just stop?"

"No," Axel mused. "It just vanished."

This was how Ren had wandered the darkness unscathed; By wandering unnoticed.

Ren looked up, where Blake would go next, then hopped high and wall-jumped silently from his pillar to another. With enough distance and jumping, he could maneuver unseen and unheard.

His opponent, meanwhile, wore heels that clicked as she rounded the pillar to where he'd vanished.

Larxene gaped. "He's gone!"

Ren pushed off another pillar, making his grand circle around. The next jump carried him into Axel's view, standing just where he'd started, arms folded, chin cradled in thought. The redhead glanced up at Ren and smirked as he sailed past.

But he uttered no warning to Larxene.

Ren's next jump landed him right behind her.

She swiveled on a heel, and Ren confirmed what he'd seen before, emptying his last magazine. The bullets flew through her, and the SMG clicked empty, ejection port slamming open.

Larxene didn't laugh this time.

"Hope you enjoyed that," she hissed. "Because now you're-"

And here was the gambit. Ren's final trick.

The bullet of last resort, One Schnee Dust Company Burn crystal cut for nine millimeter, tucked into his cheek. Ren spit the bullet. It flew the length of his outstretched arm, clicked into chamber, and primed the action with its inertia.

Nora's voice came to him. "Don't forget to say the line!"

Ren couldn't help himself. He smirked, "Boo."

The bullet pierced Larxene like a burning arrow. Fire spread over her like a net, and her screams echoed through the great hall.

Larxene flailed, trying to pat out the flames across her whole form. She cast out an arm, gesturing for something. And in response came her portal. She fell through to safety, and it closed.

The echoing screams faded.

The remaining sound was a bemused chuckle.

Ren turned to face the new threat.

Axel clapped. "Oh, man. Good show."

Ren offered out his hands, repeating his play at harmlessness. "Sorry, but I'm all out of tricks, and that was my last bullet. If you want to kill me, I-"

"Kill you?! Ha! I ought to buy you a beer! If you're old enough. No… Here."

Axel gestured, just like Larxene had. And a portal opened, just like Larxene's.

"You can leave," Axel offered. He nodded through the portal.

Ren pointed. "Where's that go? Traverse Town?"

Axel cringed. "Traverse Town is a refugee camp. Guys like us don't belong there." His cringe became a smile. "This is a one-way ticket to Olympus Colosseum. You've got people you're looking for, right?"

"Yeah." Ren nodded.

"You've got a chance of finding them there."

Ren waited.

Axel gestured to the portal. "Look, you can't stay."

"Why are you helping me?"

"Because you've still got a heart, and you'll fight to keep it."

They stared at each other. A bead of sweat trailed down Ren's temple. "I don't trust you, and I don't want to use your portal," Ren admitted.

Axel pointed through his portal. "I did my part. That portal will close in one minute. If you don't go through it, you will never see your friends alive. And the castle will rob your memories of them."

Axel gestured for another portal and bowed out.